Learning How To Bend
by SVUCSIWTRDOOLluver
Summary: Gibbs and Abby are in a committed relationship for a while, until Abby sees something unforgivable in her mind: Gibbs cheating on her. Will Gibbs be able to explain what he was doing with Lt. Col. Mann in his basement? Was he actually cheating on her or was it a misunderstanding? Or will their relationship be completely destroyed for good? Two-part story and it is complete!
1. I'll Be There 'Til The End

**This is a romantic Gibbs/Abby story. Also, it's kind of an angst story, as it begins with Gibbs in his basement contemplating the reasons why Abby left him. The song is "Learning How To Bend" by Gary Allan. **

**Enjoy!**

_I'm still learning how to pray_

_Trying harder not to stray_

_Try to see things your way_

_I'm still learning how to pray_

Gibbs stormed down the steps that led to his basement and immediately threw his phone against the wall. The battery separated from the rest of the phone and it fell to the ground in pieces. Gibbs then stalked over to his bottle of bourbon and poured himself a generous glass and downed it in one sip. As the alcohol rushed to his brain he filled it again and sat down, sipping it this time.

"Women," He muttered, staring at the pieces of his phone. He didn't want to be bothered with the millions of calls he was sure to get from Tony, Ziva, McGee, Ducky, even Jimmy and probably Vance. The more he thought about it, the more he realized he deserved all of those calls. He and Abby had sure made a scene in NCIS that day.

But what had provoked that gigantic fight that he had with the woman he loved? The alcohol, instead of fuzzing up his memories brought this particular one right to the front of his mind.

Abby had begged him to go with her to the midnight showing of "Rocky Horror Picture Show" and he had flatly refused. She had been extremely disappointed and left the house with anger flashing in her eyes.

When she had come home, Gibbs thought, was when the whole trouble really started. Lt. Colonel Mann came over, having flown back to DC from Hawaii. And when Abby came into the house, she went down the stairs into the basement and she heard Mann trying to seduce Gibbs. When she came down a bit farther she saw Gibbs grab Mann by the wrists and push her against the wall.

Her eyes blurred with tears so she couldn't see anymore. She held back her sobs until she had crept out of the front door and into her car. Abby drove and drove until she just parked in a random parking lot, turned her cell phone off and started crying. Abby eventually fell asleep in her car that night and when she woke up, she started the car and rushed off to NCIS.

She parked her car and walked through the front doors, got on the elevator and took it down to her lab. When she stepped through the doors (which were strangely open) she saw Tony sitting at her computer. "Tony? What're you doing down here?" She asked, clearing her throat.

Tony whirled around and immediately yanked her into his arms. "What the hell were you thinking? When you didn't come home from the Rocky Horror Picture Show, Gibbs raised hell trying to find you. Your cell phone was off so McGee couldn't even track you! We were worried sick!" Tony said harshly, and Abby drew out of his arms as if she had been burned.

"Leave me alone!" She yelled at him, and he took in her appearance. She was wearing the same clothes from the day before, her hair was all tangled, her eyes were red and puffy and she had bags under her eyes.

"Abby you look like hell," Tony said in concern just as McGee walked into her lab.

"Tony she just turned her phone…" He abruptly stopped talking and walking as he saw Abby standing in front of Tony. He quickly grabbed her arm and his eyes were wide open. "Why the hell did you turn your phone off? You could've been dying and none of us would've known!" McGee yelled, masking his intense fear with anger.

"I…" Abby started to say and then Ziva walked in.

"Dear God, Abby, you had us all scared to death! Don't you ever go off like that and turn your cell phone off! How could you do that to us?" Ziva demanded, and Abby jerked back from all three of them, fisting her hands in her hair and screaming,

"STOP YELLING AT ME!"

_I'm still learning how to trust_

_It's so hard to open up_

_But I'd do anything for us_

_I'm still learning how to trust_

Everyone fell silent and Ducky stepped into the doorway. Instead of saying a word he walked over to Abby, took her arm and escorted her out, putting up his hand to stop the other agents. When they were in the elevator Abby turned to him and buried her head on his shoulder, sobs wracking her body. He patted her back soothingly as the elevator doors opened at the morgue level. Jimmy watched Ducky bring Abby into the morgue and he quickly left when Ducky gave him the look.

Ducky pulled out his bottle of alcohol and poured Abby a small cupful. As she sipped it, the color started to come back into her cheeks. "There you go, my dear," He sat down across from her and patted her knee. "Now, why don't you start at the beginning? Before you went to see the show,"

Abby took a deep breath and said, "I asked Gibbs to go with me and he refused. I was a bit peeved, but when I got home I heard Lt. Col. Mann talking in the basement. I went down there and I could hear her trying to seduce him and I saw her hanging all over him. Then he grabbed her and shoved her against the wall and" Abby broke off, a fresh round of tears overcoming her. "And I just ran. I got into my car and drove until I was crying so hard that I couldn't see. I turned my cell off and I just sat there. Eventually I fell asleep and when I woke up I drove to NCIS."

"Abby, you shouldn't've have slept in your car in an unknown place with your cell off," Ducky gently chastised, but added, "However, under the circumstances, I can forgive you. Just as the others should and will."

"But how could he do that me, Ducky? After Mike Franks died he's just been pulling away from me but I never thought he'd cheat on me," Abby said in a whisper, and Ducky placed a comforting hand on her shoulder.

"I know, Abigail, and I'll be having a chat with Agent Gibbs very soon. I know it's been tough to live with Jethro lately and you've been doing the best that you could. You're a human being, Abby, you need affection to survive. And with the little attention Jethro has been giving you of late I'm not surprised that you're emotional. You've a right to be." Ducky said firmly and he poured more alcohol into her drink and then locked the bottle away. "Drink that while I go run an errand," He instructed and he walked out of the morgue.

As he took the elevator up to the bullpen area, he contemplated what he should say to his dear old friend Jethro. The elevator doors slid open and Ducky stepped out, seeing Gibbs talking to Tony, McGee and Ziva and he swiftly rose to his feet and headed for the elevator Ducky was standing in front of.

"Not so fast, Jethro," Ducky said ominously, and Gibbs said,

"Not now, Duck, I have to…"

"I locked the morgue, Jethro, you're not getting in there to see Abby until you talk to me."

"Duck, please," Gibbs began, but Ducky shook his head and he couldn't hold back his anger anymore.

"Do you even know what you did to that poor girl besides neglect her for the past few months?" Ducky demanded, and Gibbs looked floored.

"Neglect?" He said in disbelief and Ducky continued,

"Yes, neglect. You do this every time you have a good woman in your grasp! A case comes up or, in this instance, a friend dies. Mike Franks died, yes, but you don't need to punish Abby for that! That poor girl nearly worships you and all you do is blow her off for your damned boat and bourbon! You're on the verge of losing Abby, Jethro, and unless you straighten up and let her help you get over Mike Franks, you will lose her."

"What else did I do?" Gibbs finally asked, not finding anything to contradict what Ducky was saying.

"Do you have any recollection whatsoever about what occurred last night?" Ducky asked, and neither of them were aware that half of NCIS was listening in on their heated argument.

"Abby went to see some show and was pouting because I refused to go with her and then she didn't come home." Gibbs stated, and Ducky clenched his fists.

"Do you happen to recall a certain woman coming over for an impromptu visit?"

Gibbs wracked his brain and shook his head. "I was drunk last night, Duck, I don't remember much of anything."

"Well that's too bad. Maybe you should go talk to Abby about this."

"No need Duck-man," Abby said quietly as she stepped from the elevator. Gibbs immediately stepped forward with his arms outstretched but Abby lifted her hands that clearly said 'stop'. Ducky quietly stepped back and Abby said tiredly, "I'll just go get my stuff from your house, Gibbs, and then you can do whatever you want."

"What? No, Abbs, I don't want…"

"Actions speak louder than words, Leroy Jethro Gibbs, and last night yours spoke volumes. I don't care if you were completely stone cold drunk, that did NOT give you the right to go around and cheat on me while I was at the midnight showing of Rocky Horror!" Abby said, her voice getting louder and louder.

"Cheat on you?" Gibbs was again floored.

_I'm still learning how to bend  
How to let you in_

_In a world full of tears_

_We'll conquer all our fears_

_I'm still learning how to fly_

_I wanna take you high_

_I'll be there 'til the end_

_I'll be a lover and your friend_

_I'm still learning how to bend_

"Fine, go ahead and tell me that I didn't see Lt. Col. Mann wrapped up in your arms in your basement last night. I heard her talking and I started down the stairs. She was hanging all over you, saying stuff and seducing you. You grabbed her by the wrists, shoved her against the wall and I wasn't going to watch anymore. I left, and I camped out somewhere in my car, bawling my eyes out. There, you happy? Are you happy now? Is this what you wanted? You've pushed me to this breakdown for months now, and it's finally happening."

"Am I happy? Abby you look like hell and obviously you're not happy. How can I be happy if you're not?" He asked angrily, and she blew up.

"You are complete missing the point! You! Cheated! On! Me! Am I just supposed to take that and forget about it? Is that what this whole relationship is about? I refuse to be the girl begging for your attention and your affection when clearly it's need with someone else. I'm not going to be the one begging for you to stay."

"What do you mean I cheated on you? I did not!" Gibbs yelled, and Abby yelled back,

"Well I'm so sorry I didn't take a video, I was a little busy getting my heart broken! I actually let myself love you, Leroy Jethro Gibbs, but I guess that was the biggest mistake of my life. I'm done with you, Gibbs, I'm done."

"I'm not done with you!" Gibbs exclaimed, grabbing Abby's arm as she went to turn around.

"Don't touch me! You refuse to touch me or kiss me or anything these past few months, and suddenly you decide you still want me? It's too late, Gibbs. I'm not going to fall into this cycle, where you avoid me and then say it won't happen again and we kiss and make up and then you avoid me again. That will not happen. I'm ending it before I torture myself with that. Now let GO OF ME!" She screamed, ripping her arm out of his grasp.

**Yes, Abby is heartbroken, and who can blame her? Will Gibbs come to his senses? I sure hope so! The next chapter will be up soon, as I need to fix some typos and grammar errors before I post it. Thank you so much for reading and I hope you're enjoying this story so far!**


	2. I'll Be A Lover And Your Friend

**This is the second chapter of this two-shot! Now what will Abby do? And what will the rest of the team say to this huge fight in the middle of NCIS? What will Ducky say? And most importantly, will Gibbs be able to fix things with Abby?**

**Enjoy!**

Before she let the tears fall from her eyes she walked through the crowd of people that had gathered to see the big fight and she disappeared down the stairs with Tony running after her, yelling, "Abby! Wait!"

Gibbs was still staring at the exact spot where Abby had been when a sharp slap across his face brought him back to reality. He looked up in anger and saw Ziva standing there, an equally angry look on her face. "How dare you?" She hissed, and Gibbs opened and closed his mouth like a fish out of water.

"I…I don't even remember that…"

"That is what your precious alcohol does to your brain, Jethro," Ducky said disappointingly, and Gibbs turned to him.

"How can I remember?"

"Think hard," Ducky advised him, and then stepped back into the elevator.

As Gibbs went back to his desk and buried his face in his hands, Abby was striding to her car, the tears falling thick and fast down her cheeks. Tony was still chasing after her, but she could walk fast in her black platform boots.

"Just leave me alone, Tony," Abby said miserably, and Tony finally caught up to her.

"No way in hell, Abbs," He said, and pulled her into his arms. "I'll take you to my apartment so he won't be able to find you if he goes looking," Tony added, and Abby mumbled into his chest,

"Thank you, Tony,"

"Anytime, Abby," Tony replied, and she climbed in his car. "So, what shall the theme be tonight? Scare-the-crap-out-of-you theme, romantic-lovey-dovey-crap theme, heartbreakingly-sad theme…"

"Can we watch funny movies tonight?" Abby asked in a small voice, and Tony grinned.

"Of course. I even bought a new box of popcorn so we are set for the entire night."

"Awesome." Abby said with a smile, and Tony reached over, taking her hand and squeezing it.

_I'm just trying to understand_

_It's all in someone else's hands_

_There's always been a bigger plan_

_That I don't need to understand_

While Abby and Tony prepared themselves for a fun-filled movie night, Gibbs kept trying to remember through the alcohol haze. Finally as he was getting up to go home, it hit him: Lt. Col. Mann had tried to get him to go for her, but finally he had gotten so annoyed that he pushed her against the wall, told her to leave him alone and go home. She spewed some bad things about Abby and then left, slamming all the doors. Gibbs proceeded to get rip-roaring drunk, and then the rest is history.

"Dammit!" He swore just as Ducky walked up.

"I assume you remember?" Ducky said, and Gibbs nodded angrily.

"I was pushing Mann away, I wasn't going to sleep with her. She annoyed the hell out of me so I was trying to make a point, and then she called Abby a slut and some other things and I ordered her out of the house. She left, but she wasn't happy,"

"I can imagine," Ducky murmured, and then leveled his gaze at Gibbs. "You do know what you have to do now, don't you?"

"Yeah, but I imagine she's either at Tony's watching movies, at Ziva's learning how to torture me or at McGee's playing some fancy computer game."

"Well, then I suppose you'll be alone for tonight. Payback for hurting Abby," Ducky said with a slight smile, and then left. Gibbs groaned and got ready to leave himself, but his brain was whirring with ideas on how to explain to Abby had had really happened, and he also had to figure out how to let her know that he truly loved her, and that he couldn't live without her.

That night, Gibbs didn't even bother to try to sleep because he knew he wouldn't be able to close his eyes. He worked furiously on his boat all throughout the night and refused to touch his bourbon, knowing that it was half the reason he was in the situation he was in that moment. When the sun started to rise, Gibbs finally finished sanding the last bit of wood and got his paint out to name the boat. After he finished with everything, he went up to take a shower and put some decent clothes on.

As he was sipping a cup of coffee, he suddenly realized where Abby would have stayed the night. Not Ziva's place, not McGee's apartment, but at Tony's. Gibbs grabbed his keys and sped out of the house, while dialing an old friend of his to ask for a favor.

When he pulled up to Tony's apartment building, everything was set. Gibbs dialed Tony's cell and his voice answered, "DiNozzo,"

"Tony, it's me. Don't hang up," Gibbs ordered, and Tony was silent for a minute.

"Why shouldn't I?"

"Because I did not cheat on Abby. Lt. Col. Mann was just leaving when Abby saw her trying to seduce me. I threw her out after that." Gibbs said tiredly, and Tony was silent again. Then he spoke, saying,

"All right, I won't hang up. What do you want? Abby's in the shower,"

"I want you to either let me in or get Abby to come downstairs. I need to apologize to her, and I want to show her something."

"I can ask her…"

"Just, get her to come outside. I don't expect her to forgive me, but I need to know that she knows I never cheated on her. That's all." Gibbs sighed, and then when Tony was hesitant he added a quiet, "Please, Tony,"

"Okay," Tony replied, and hung up. Gibbs leaned against his car and about an hour later Abby came walking out with Tony right behind her. When she saw Gibbs standing there, she froze.

"Tony, please tell me you didn't set this up," She hissed, and Tony shook his head.

"No, I'm just doing what I'm told." He took a few steps back as Gibbs walked up to Abby. She eyed him with furious eyes and he held up his hands in surrender.

"I don't expect you to forgive me, Abby, but just hear me out. I was working on my boat when Hollis walked in. We started talking, and looking back I realize that that was my first mistake. Then she started asking stuff like if I was single and I told her I was dating you. The next thing I knew she was standing in front of me, trying to seduce me. I shoved her away from me and then she started saying bad things about you. I threw her out soon after that." His eyes were flashing as he recalled how furious he got when Mann had the guts to call Abby a slut and a whore to his face.

_I'm still learning how to bend_

_I wanna take you in_

_In a world full of tears_

_We'll conquer all our fears_

_I'm still learning how to fly_

_I wanna take you high_

_I'll be there 'til the end_

_I'll be a lover and your friend_

_I'm still learning how to bend_

"But I saw you…" Abby whispered, and Gibbs nodded.

"I was drunk, Abby, and no that's not an excuse. It just took me a few moments to react to what Hollis was doing. When I realized her intentions I pushed her away. I know you doubt yourself, Abbs, you might not think you're good enough for me but I'm telling you here and now: I'm not good enough for you."

"That's not true," Abby protested quietly, and Gibbs sighed.

"I just want you to know how sorry I am. Yes I realize that it's a sign of weakness to apologize, but there are special cases. You're one of those cases, Abbs, I screwed everything up this time, and you deserve an apology. Rules are made to be at least bent sometimes,"

A ghost of a smile slid across Abby's face, and Gibbs looked down at his watch. "Will you come with me, Abby? I want to show you something," Abby hesitated, and Gibbs added, "We can walk, it's not far from here,"

She nodded, and glanced back at Tony before walking forward to meet Gibbs. They started walking, and Abby said gently, "I know you don't think you're good enough for me, Gibbs, but you were right when you said that I think I'm not good enough for you. I can never compete with some of the women you've dated, like Hollis, and I know Shannon is deeply entrenched in your heart, but there was some part of me that was hoping that you would have some room left for me,"

Gibbs reached over and took her hand, squeezing. "Abby, the first time I met you, you slipped into my heart somehow and you're not going anywhere. You are so much better than any of my ex-wives, and that's the truth. They were replacements for Shannon, but you and Shannon are nearly polar opposites. You could never replace Shannon, and that's why I love you. She'll always be in my heart, Abbs, but so will you. You're so special to me, and I couldn't bear to lose you," Gibbs' voice broke at the end, and Abby wrapped her arm around his waist as they walked.

"You won't. I want to give us another try,"

"Thank God," Gibbs muttered, squeezing her shoulders.

"But you're on probation," Abby teased, and Gibbs chuckled as they drew closer and closer to the harbor. "Where're we going?" She asked, and Gibbs just shook his head as they kept walking.

Soon they made it to the dock, and Gibbs pointed to a boat that was in the first slot. Abby squinted and saw the name Abigail written on the side in neat lettering. "Oh Jethro," She whispered, knowing that Gibbs had built that boat, and built it for her. "So that's why you would never tell me the name,"

Gibbs nodded and smiled at the use of his first name. That rarely happened, and when it did it must be something really amazing. He wrapped his arms around her from behind and kissed the top of her head. She spun around in his arms and kissed him, sliding her arms around his neck. "Thank you," She whispered before kissing him again.

"I know I screw up a lot, Abbs, but I just want you to know that I'm learning. You're teaching me, and I'm learning how to bend, how to let you in completely and let myself love you like you deserve,"

"Oh, I know you love me, Jethro, and that's all I need to know," Abby said with a smile, and then pulled Gibbs onto the boat. They sat in the seat and Abby cuddled into his arms.

"I love you, Abby," He said, feeling the need to actually say it instead of Abby saying it for him. She grinned at him and he kissed her as she replied,

"Love you too, Jethro

_I'll be there 'til the end_

_I'll be a lover and your friend_

_I'm still learning how to bend_

_Still learning how to bend_

_Be there 'til the end_

_Still learning how to bend_

**The end of this Gibbs/Abby two-shot! It was originally going to be a one-shot, but it got to be so long I had to cut it into two chapters, therefore turning into a two-shot! Thank you so much for reading and I hope you like this story!**


End file.
